


A Not So Ordinary Day

by scarletsaber (sushibunny)



Series: Days Together [2]
Category: Free!
Genre: First Kiss, Fluff, M/M, Mutual Pining, OMG These Two Idiots, POV Alternating, Practice Kissing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-16
Updated: 2016-10-16
Packaged: 2018-08-22 18:11:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,348
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8295272
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sushibunny/pseuds/scarletsaber
Summary: Another day in Makoto and Haru's lives, in which neither is as good at keeping their secret love for the other as secret as they think.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [keepleaves](https://archiveofourown.org/users/keepleaves/gifts).



> Happy Birthday keepleaves!! I hope you enjoy this one (you better since you demanded a continuation of the first part lol)! I threw in another trope I know you love, so hopefully it will meet your approval ;) And I hope you have a lovely birthday! It's always fun fangirling over Makoharu and other random nonsense with you, and despite your worrying obsession with Frozen, I still love ya ;)
> 
> You can read this separate from the first part, but then you'd miss out on exactly how hopelessly these two pine for each other, and where's the fun in that?

Haru stared down at the grill, watching the mackerel slowly brown, yet his normal enthusiasm for his choice of breakfast was absent that morning.

He was annoyed. Because Makoto was late.

They didn’t have school for the next few days and they had planned to get together that morning to study. But no matter how long Haru had sat in the bath- definitely not waiting- Makoto still hadn’t shown. Haru had had to pull himself from the tub instead of relying on the familiar warm hand, and it left a sour feeling in his stomach that rivaled the haze of disappointment he felt every time he had to leave the water. He would have stayed longer- indefinitely- in an attempt to still be in there when Makoto arrived, but it had already been almost three hours and the water was too cold for him to avoid a lecture from Makoto. So he got out himself, every bit of calm and peace he had gained from his time with the water evaporating faster than the drops of water that rolled down his body.

So there he was, continuing on with his routine and cooking breakfast. Alone.

The sound of his back door sliding open broke him from his melancholy reverie.

“Haru! I’m so sorry I’m late!”

Haru’s head snapped towards the kitchen doorway, trying not to look as eager as he felt as he waited for his best friend to finally appear. He listened with amusement as the fast footsteps disappeared upstairs, pausing for a few moments before there was a confused noise and then the steps returned, heading towards the kitchen. Haru certainly didn’t feel a wave of relief at the sight of a bedraggled Makoto stumbling into the room in his haste to reach Haru.

“There you are! The twins woke up with colds this morning and my mom had to run to the store to pick up some medicine for them, so I had to watch them. And I let Ran play some games on my phone last night before bed and she drained the battery so I had to charge it, and I turned it off and forgot it wasn’t on this morning and I am so sorry I missed your text! I meant to call you and tell you I’d be late, but then Ren started complaining about a headache, and of course Ran had to try and convince me hers was worse and that turned into a whole thing and then I just forgot, I’m so sorry, Haru!”

Haru watched with a faint smirk before turning back to plate his meal while Makoto rambled from where he stood leaning against the doorframe, panting probably from a combination of rushing over to Haru’s house and his hasty explanation.

“I promise to pay more attention next time! ...Did you take a bath this morning?”

Haru raised a brow at the non sequitor.

Makoto gave a sheepish smile that Haru did not want to trace with his fingertips. “I just mean… You’re dressed. In actual clothes. And not just jammers and an apron.”

Lips downturned into a from, Haru turned away, pointedly ignoring the chuckling behind him.

“Here.” He shoved a plate of mackerel and toast in Makoto’s hands before taking his own to the table.

“Thank you, Haru.” The smile in Makoto’s words made his heart skip. “...I’m sorry I wasn’t there to pull you from the bath.”

“Eat your food.” Haru definitely wasn’t hiding a blush behind his toast. And Makoto’s giggling definitely didn’t make him feel warm all over either.

“Yes, yes.”

Haru wasn’t annoyed anymore.

* * *

 

“Why do we have to learn English?” Makoto whined, letting his head fall down overdramatically onto the pile of books on the table in front of him.

He heard Haru hum in agreement next to him, so close he could imagine he could feel the vibrations. Makoto briefly wondered when Haru had started sitting next to him when they studied and not across from him like they used to, but he found he didn’t want to put much thought into it. Or rather, he couldn’t, not when the feeling of Haru’s knee brushing against his forced all other thoughts from his mind.

Makoto tilted his head to the side so he could see Haru, using the books as a makeshift pillow. “Maybe we should call Rin now-”

“No.”

“Haru~” Makoto sighed, looking up at his friend in exasperation before- reluctantly- lifting his head. “He’s really not that bad. If you would stop rising to the bait whenever he teases you-”

“I do not.”

“Mhmm, sure,” Makoto murmured sarcastically, ignoring Haru’s glare. “Alright, how about a compromise? I’ll just call him myself, you don’t need to be involved.”

Haru frowned but said nothing in opposition.

With a grateful smile Makoto bumped his shoulder against Haru’s, attempting to ignore the heat that seemed to sear him whenever he came into contact with his best friend. “Thank you, Haru.”

He smiled wider when Haru turned his head away, murmuring something about Makoto being as annoying as Rin. The fact that Haru didn’t move away from him though made his heart race, and he just hoped Haru wouldn’t be able to feel it from where their arms pressed together.

* * *

 

“Finally finished!”

Haru glanced up from his spot on the floor. Makoto was currently stretching his back in celebration of completing the English assignment. He couldn’t help his eyes tracing the muscles he was achingly familiar with as the t shirt pulled tight with Makoto’s movements. Somehow it looked almost as appealing beneath the thin, stretched fabric as it did bare and dripping with pool water. Almost.

Haru turned his head away when Makoto’s eyes slid over to his, hoping the heat he felt rising on his face wasn’t visible.

“Haru, why are you lying on the floor? It’s only… 2:30.”

A peek back confirmed that Makoto was indeed wearing his disapproving look.

“Tired.”

“Well, I guess we did get a lot of work done,” Makoto sighed, moving to put his school work in order. “And you only got into an argument with Rin twice, so I suppose you deserve a break.”

Haru couldn’t help but snort at that. It was purely Rin’s own fault. He couldn’t be blamed, surely. He was pulled from his inner musings about Rin’s poor temper and inability to take criticism when Makoto suddenly flopped down next to him, startling him. Haru looked over at smiling green eyes in question.

“Nap?” Makoto asked with a grin, shifting onto his side so he was facing Haru and pulling one of the floor cushions under his head.

“...Sure.”

Haru was tired, and he would never say no to a nap. But having Makoto sleep next to him? They hadn’t been able to do that for years, shared beds becoming too small for such a thing and their bedrooms only able to accommodate one futon each. Naps usually involved the untired person heading home, or Makoto borrowing Haru’s couch while he went up to his own bed. And group sleepovers in high school weren’t very common- despite Nagisa’s requests- and even then there were always other people around. It was never him and Makoto alone side by side.

But as he watched Makoto’s eyes drift shut, gentle smile still on his face, Haru couldn’t help but hope this trend continued. He found himself focusing on the minute details of Makoto’s face- things he never had the chance to look at (stare at) when Makoto was awake. The length of his eyelashes where they laid dark against his skin, the freckles Haru was developing a thing for, the soft curve of his lips and how soft they looked. Haru’s chest felt tight and warm and his hand reached out without his permission and he barely caught himself before he traced the slope of Makoto’s jaw.

Then again, maybe it was better if napping together didn’t become a thing.

Haru forced himself to close his eyes, wrapping his arms around his middle in an effort to keep them to himself, and focused on the sound of Makoto’s soft breathing and the rapid beating of his own heart as he drifted off.

* * *

 

“Thanks for coming over tonight, Haru! I know we were supposed to just hang out at your house, but with the twins both being sick I didn’t want to leave my parents stuck with them all day.”

“I told you it’s fine already… Besides, I like your siblings too. I don’t mind.”

Makoto turned to look at him, shooting him a wide grin from the step above. “Haru-chan is just a big softie, hm?”

“Drop the -chan,” he groused, though Makoto caught the slight blush on his face nonetheless.

Makoto only giggled at him before he opened the door to the twins’ room, cautiously peering in before frowning and opening it fully. “You two are supposed to be resting!” he chastised in his big brother voice, though it clearly had little effect as two small forms launched themselves at Makoto’s legs.

“Onii-chan! Tell us a story!” voices chorused in duet.

Makoto gave Haru an exasperated look as he worked to detach the two clinging bodies from himself as he agreed to their demands. A further wail of “Haru-chan!” was heard when the two caught sight of him, and Haru was forced to pull an escaped Ren back to bed while Makoto tucked in Ran. The sight of Haru being so tender and kind with his siblings made Makoto’s heart clench.

“Alright, alright. What story do you want me to read tonight?” Makoto asked, sitting down in front of the bookcase between their beds. He resolutely kept his eyes on the books when Haru sat down next to him, close enough that Makoto’s skin prickled from the warmth of his friend’s body.

“The one with the princess and the dragon!” Ran yelled before falling into a coughing fit, thoroughly ignoring Makoto’s chastisement.

“Yeah!” Ren heartedly agreed, the word muffled by the surgical mask over his mouth.

It only took Makoto a moment to locate the favored book, pulling it out and proceeding to read the story aloud, desperately trying to ignore the warmth he felt whenever he spoke about the deep love between the prince and princess.

“And then they kissed and everyone cheered and they lived happily ever after,” he said, finishing the story and hoping the twins were asleep.

“Onii-chan, what’s it like to kiss someone?”

No such luck.

“Eh? Um, what, uh, why are you asking?” Makoto stumbled over his words, feeling oddly put on the spot with Haru right there next to him. He staunchly refused to look over at his friend.

Ran frowned. “Because it’s always in fairy tales. The prince and princess always end up kissing. But they never say why. Is it magic?”

Makoto felt a bit relieved; that he could answer. “Oh, well, they kiss each other because they love each other. Like mom and dad. I guess love is like a sort of magic.”

“Oh. But what does it feel like?”

Well, darn. “Uh, I… Well, I, um, I don’t actually know… I’ve never kissed anyone.” Makoto definitely couldn’t look at Haru.

“Eh? Aw, but I wanted to know!”

“Ah, I’m sure you’ll figure it out for yourself eventually. In many, many years,” Makoto assured his sister, putting the book back in its place before tucking the twins in again. He did his best to avoid Haru’s eyes, which he could feel following his every move, leaving goosebumps and shivers in their wake.

* * *

 

Once out in the safety of the hallway, Haru regarded Makoto from the corner of his eye. He wasn’t sure what to say at the best of times, but after a truly awkward moment like that…

“Ah, Haru…”

He turned his head to fully face Makoto, oddly apprehensive about what his best friend would say.

“...You can take the first bath,” Makoto said, giving him a soft smile. “I’ll get you some clothes, okay?”

Haru was stuck in shock for a moment, not expecting that. Makoto wasn’t usually one to sweep things under the rug. But then again, Makoto was always good at reading him too. He would know Haru didn’t want to bring up Ran’s awkward line of questioning; and Haru doubted Makoto really wanted to get into it either. Haru was filled with a warm gratitude towards Makoto, and he couldn’t help giving a slight smile in return.

“Mm.”

He was pleased when Makoto’s smile went wide, clearly having been a bit anxious himself. “Great! Don’t stay in too long, now. I still have to beat you in that new game I got.”

Haru rolled his eyes but didn’t argue. He would let Makoto beat him- not that Haru ever had to let him- in every game if it meant Makoto would continue to smile at him like that.

* * *

 

Haru was being quieter than usual, Makoto noted, which was definitely saying something. As he managed to cross the finish line ahead of Haru for the fifth time with barely any competition from the other, he turned to face his friend.

“Haru? Are you alright?”

Haru’s eyes slid over momentarily before he returned his attention to the game. “Mm.”

“Are you sure? You’ve been really quiet since, ah, since Ren and Ran…” Makoto trailed off, not actually wanting to put it into words. He watched Haru’s cheeks go red and knew he was on the right track. He knew it would be better for his sanity to drop the subject, but something made him push on. “Do you… Do you think it’s weird? That’s I’ve never... never kissed anyone?”

He couldn’t bring himself to look back over at Haru as he waited for an answer, eyes focused instead on selecting a new course from the menu.

“Dunno.”

Makoto’s head whipped around, a surge of hurt washing over him at the reply, though he tried to keep it off his face. He wasn’t sure how successful he was.

Haru shrugged as he met Makoto’s eye. “I’ve never kissed anyone either. Maybe it is weird.”

A warm feeling spread from Makoto’s chest out to the tips of his toes. He was sure he had never smiled so widely before. “Oh. Well, I guess we can be weird together, then!”

Haru’s blush was unmistakable that time. “Sure.”

* * *

 

Haru watched Makoto turn over in the dim lighting of the room for what must have been the millionth time. Clearly something was still bothering him, and Haru had a feeling he knew what.

“Makoto?”

“Hmm? Ah, sorry, Haru. Am I keeping you awake?”

Haru hummed a noncommittal answer as he sat up on the futon, resting his weight on his elbows as he peered up at Makoto. “Is it before? You shouldn’t worry about it.”

Even in the dark Haru knew Makoto was blushing when he responded. “Ah, well, I just can’t help it. Don’t you wonder, sometimes? What it’d be like? To kiss someone? To have someone to kiss?

“...Not really.” Haru wasn’t sure if he was lying more to himself or Makoto.

“Oh. Well, I do. I-I think it’d be nice. To be so close to someone, to have someone always be there for you. To care about them so much that you can't help showing them. I think a kiss must be the closest thing to magic there is. From the way stories and everyone always talks about it, anyway. Just… To be able to share that with someone, and not have to hide how you feel. It sounds so…” Makoto ended his words with a sigh, and Haru almost thought it sounded longing.

“Free.”

Makoto chuckled. “Yeah, I guess so. Sorry, I probably sounded like Rin just now. Just ignore it.”

Haru’s heart clenched at that for some reason. He definitely didn’t want to ignore it. “...I think it probably feels nice,” Haru said softly, though Makoto’s head turned to look down at him as quickly as if he had yelled. “Kissing.”

“...Yeah. Probably.”

“Do you…” Words spilled from his lips before he could stop them. “Do you want to try?” Haru’s eyes went wide and his heart threatened to beat out of his chest. What was he saying?

“...Haru?” Makoto didn’t sound upset. Just… curious?

“I mean, if you want to find out. So you can explain it to Ren and Ran, I mean,” Haru stuttered, unsure where his sudden bout of courage/stupidity was coming from. He held his breath as he waited for Makoto’s answer, skin feeling hot and heartbeat echoing in his ears.

“Oh, uh, yeah, that… that would be… Are you sure, Haru? You don't have to do this, I'm sure I'll find out someday,” Makoto said, and Haru could feel him looking intensely down at him.

Haru's chest ached at the thought of Makoto kissing someone else. “It's fine,” he snapped quickly, flinching at his own tone. Gentler, he added, “I want to know, too.”

“Okay…”

A thrill ran through Haru at Makoto’s acquiescence, though he tried not to let himself think too much into it. This was just an experiment, nothing more. He tried not to think about how much that thought hurt either.

Makoto climbed off the bed, down to the futon Haru was lying on. Haru pushed himself further up so they were sitting face to face on their heels. There was a long moment before anything happened, both just staring apprehensively at each other, eyes adjusted to the dim light enough so that Haru could make out the way Makoto was biting his lower lip.

Makoto finally made the first move, moving to grip Haru's shoulders almost too tightly before he took a deep breath, forcing himself and his grip to relax. Haru shivered at the feeling of Makoto’s touch, the too-big t shirt he was wearing causing Makoto’s hands to come into direct contact with Haru’s skin. Haru placed his hands on top of Makoto's wrists- to anchor Makoto or himself he wasn’t sure. Makoto shifted towards him until their knees touched and then they were both leaning forward. Haru had enough sense of mind to tilt his head before his eyes fluttered shut and then all he could feel was Makoto's lips on his. They were warm, like he always knew they would be, and soft, like everything about Makoto was.

And they felt like being free.

The kiss lasted for a lot longer than was needed to just know what one was like, but Haru didn’t mind; far from it. He would take whatever he could, while he could, before the spell broke and Makoto was just his best friend again. And in the meantime he would enjoy the way Makoto’s lips felt sliding against his own, the warmth of Makoto’s hands and the safety of his grip, the way his heart and mind both agreed that this was perfect and right and the way it should always be between them- even if it couldn’t be.

But Makoto eventually pulled away, eyes half lidded and breathing heavy and said, “I've always wanted to kiss you. And it's just as magical as in the stories.”

And Haru’s world turned upside down.

He was glad for the dark because he knew he must be bright red at Makoto’s confession. But he was so, so happy- more than he’d ever been. No race had ever made him feel this way, no victory been as satisfying. Though it was oddly similar to the feeling of being enveloped in water.

He was also quiet in his surprised joy, and Makoto must have misinterpreted his silence as a rejection, because he started stammering in a pained voice. “Sorry, Haru. Just- I know you were just being a good friend and helping and you don't feel the same. I don't expect anything, please just forget-”

And Haru kissed him again, just to shut Makoto up and he thought he would have to use that method more often as he felt Makoto eagerly respond.

“Haru?”

“It's like swimming.”

And Makoto smiled, because he understood.

**Author's Note:**

> I couldn't help myself ^^


End file.
